The Meaning of Independence: 13 Entrepreneurs Pay Tribute

July 4, 2012

1:01 pm

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For the last 236 years, the fine citizens of the USA have joined together in celebration of our nation’s first and greatest accomplishment – freedom.

In honor of Independence Day, Tech Cocktail reached out to a group of successful entrepreneurs to share what independence means to them. Specifically, we wanted to know: “What is most liberating about being an entrepreneur?” Their responses are below.

As is the case with our liberty as a nation, the liberty an entrepreneur experiences comes at a cost. Entrepreneurs lack a boss that they defer to day to day, but they gain a board whose power over them is even greater. Entrepreneurs gain the freedom to deliver on the completeness of their vision, free from the confines of business maxims and corporate structures, but they lose the comfort of a paycheck that comes even when things don’t go right while corrections are being made. Real liberty always has, and always will come at a price.

The most liberating thing about being an entrepreneur is knowing that there is no one above me to smack down my ideas. When I think I have a good idea, I am able to pursue it in full – as soon as I’d like. When I worked in an office, trying to start a new project was full of proposals to my managers and red tape – not so liberating.

The ability to innovate and take risks is the most liberating thing for me personally. Operating within a startup environment allows for a ton of creativity on all sides of the company. Not just with your product, but within strategy, work flow and even daily operations. It’s all about maximizing your time and making the most of the opportunity you’ve been given. It’s extremely liberating to come into the office every day with the realization that the success and/or failure of your company ultimately lands on your own shoulders.

Liberation comes when you realize that you don’t have to live a pre-formatted corporate life. When you realize that you can make people’s lives better, at your own scale, by building products that give them a new perspective on the world. When you realize that work will never be a chore anymore, because work is now your passion, what drives you.

It has to be the sheer volume of people to meet, information to absorb, and experiences to learn from. The opportunities available to an entrepreneur allow a person to grow so much faster over broader skillsets than typically available in a corporate atmosphere. It’s such a great roller coaster.

The most liberating thing about being an entrepreneur is knowing you’re entirely responsible for your results. It’s great to wake up every day and know that I’m doing what I want to do, that my decisions are my own, and that I’m responsible for my own mistakes and successes.

The most liberating aspect of being an entrepreneur is that you are not only encouraged, but rewarded for breaking the rules. Win or lose, there’s an incredible thrill in fiercely questioning the status quo.